Chapter III: Front Matter (3)

Farther hereabouts, chiefly in the town upon the cisterns and conduits, I found _Adiantum_, by the Apothecaries called _Capillus Veneris_, and in old walls the _Apollinaris_. I also found in the shops in their _Batzars_ two sorts of roots, whereof one was rounder, which may be the _Bulcigeni_ of the _Venetians_, which are called _Thrasi_ at _Verona_, where they grow (as the learned _Malthiolus_ testifieth) many of these are sent out of _Egypt_ to _Tripoli_, and sold there, chiefly to eat in _June_, by the name of _Habel_, _Assis_ and _Altzis_, this being true, and they being very like both in name and quality to the grains of _Altzelem_ of the _Arabians_, they must be the same, although _Rhasis_ reckoneth these amongst the fruits. The other called by them _Hakinrigi_, and _Hakeuribi_ is somewhat longer, not unlike to our _Doronicum_; there is also a great many of them to be sold; they are hard, of a sweetish taste, with a piercing bitterness, and in their bigness, and white nerves (which spread themselves under ground in the gardens round about like unto the wild _Angelica_ of _Tragus_) so like to the _Haronigi Serapionis_, and to the _Durungi_ and _Durunegi_ of _Avicenna_, according to their description, and so uniform, that they must be taken for the same. Then I found also in their shops abundance of the seeds of _Sumach_, whereof they make a red powder, to excite the appetite of the stomach. These and more strange and unknown simples I did find at _Tripolis_. But because it would be too tedious to describe them all, therefore I have only made mention of those that authors have describ’d.

CHAP. V.

_Which way I travell’d from ~Tripolis~ farther to the two famous cities of ~Damant~ and ~Halepo~._

After I had rested for several weeks in _Tripolis_, and had observed that city, it’s building, and pleasant situation, and moreover the manners, customs, and habits, as well of the low as high ones, I propounded to myself to travel to _Aleppo_, which is almost the biggest, and the most famous trading city of _Syria_, which lies five or six days journey towards the north-east of _Tripolis_. And when I met with some companions to travel with me, we stored ourselves with provisions, _viz._ bread, cheese, eggs, _&c._ for our journey, and so set out of _Tripolis_ the ninth of _Novemb._ _Anno 1573_.

By the way we met with a great deal of rain, which commonly begins at that time of the year, and continueth almost all the winter long; this kept us so much back, that we reached not to _Damant_, which is in the mid-way from _Tripolis_ to _Aleppo_, before the fourth day. There we lodged in one of their great Champs, call’d _Carvatscharas_, where we had a chamber assign’d us, in which we found neither table nor chairs, nor bench, nor bed, only upon the floor was laid a _Stromatzo_, twisted of canes, which was to serve us instead of them all. There we bought in their _Batzar_ some victuals according to our pleasure, and staid there all night long. The town, which some take to be the old _Apamia_, is pretty big, and pretty well built; it lies in a valley between hills, so that you can see nothing of it, the castle only excepted, which lieth on the hill, and guardeth it very well, before you are just come to it. Round about it there are many orchards and kitchen-gardens, which they water out of the river _Hasce_, which is pretty large, and runs thro’ the town. The water they lift up with wheels, fix’d in the river for that purpose, that pour it into channels that carry it into the gardens, and so water them in the great heat of the sun, to refresh them. These gardens had been worth my seeing, but my fellow-travellers were in haste, and so we put on the next morning for _Aleppo_.

By the way we saw very good corn-fields, vineyards, and fields planted with cotton, which is brought from thence, and sold to us under the name of the place where it grew, and also silks and other goods that are bought there at the first hand. In these countries are a great many wild asses, call’d _Onagri_, the skins of them are very strong to wear, and as they prepare them, finely frock’d on the outside as strawberries are, or like the skin of the _Sepia_, or cuttle-fish, wherefore they commonly make their scabbards for their scymiters, and sheaths of their knives thereof. Their blades are water’d on both sides very subtilly; they are made of good metal, well harden’d, and so sharp, chiefly those that are made in _Damascus_, that you may cut with them a very strong nail in pieces, without any hurt to the blade. They wear rather knives than daggers, which they tie to their girdles with finely wrought tapes, by their backs.

When we went on and came to the promontory of mount _Libanus_, we saw abundance of villages by the way, which for the most part are inhabited by Christians, _viz._ _Syrians_, _Maronites_, &c. with whom we did lodge sometimes over-night; these entertain’d us very civilly, and gave us such wine to drink as grew on the mountains, than which I hardly remember I ever drank better. Amongst the rest of the villages we came to one call’d _Hanal_, lying high in a fruitful country, where, as I am inform’d, in former days a very fine city stood, which is so desolated, and in process of time decay’d to that degree, that in our days there is almost nothing left of it but a small village, and here and there in the fields some small ruins of old houses.

We went on farther between the mountains, where we spy’d a little town upon the hills, and above it a strong castle, which it is said the _French_ did formerly build, that lieth in a very convenient place between the mountains, so that you must go just by it; but because it is haunted with evil spirits and hobgobblins, it remaineth unrepair’d and uninhabited. We left it on our left hand, and came out into a spacious corn-field well till’d, where on our left we saw the town _Sermin_ at a great distance, and near to it and about it, great woods of _Pistacio_-trees, which are gathered there, and sent to _Tripolis_, and so by the merchants to us: Some of them grow also near the high-ways, chiefly in the village of _Basilo_, where we stay’d all night.

In our way we found nine or ten Champs, call’d _Caravatscharas_: these are open inns, where the caravans and travellers go in, commonly towards evening, to stay there all night; they are free to any body, but you find neither meat nor drink there, if you will have it you must bring it along with you, and must be contented to lie upon straw, if you can have it, upon the lower wall, which goes round about the sides, on purpose to give to horses, asses, and camels their food upon it. They are generally three miles distant from one another; they are large and stately, and as strong in walls as castles, commonly built four-square, and have within a large yard, and round about it are stables which are quite open, just like cloisters. Some of them have a garrison of nine or twelve Janisaries, to keep the roads clean, and to protect the travellers from assaults of the inhabitants and _Arabians_.

When we had travell’d over several rough mountains, and came almost near to _Halepo_, we saw at last the city just like _Damand_, of the bigness of _Strasbourg_; at the gates we dismounted, because in _Turky_ no outlandish man hath liberty to ride thro’ a city, and so we went into it, and I went into the _French Fundique_ to take my lodgings, as all _Germans_ use to do.

CHAP. VI.

_Of the situation of the potent city of ~Halepo~, of the buildings thereof, and also of the delicate fruits, and fine plants that grow there within and without the gardens._

The town of _Halepo_, which is the greatest and most potent in _Syria_, anciently call’d _Nerea_, is in some places well fortify’d with ditches and walls, only they are not quite round it, so that one may (the same it is with _Tripolis_) at any time of night go in and out; neither are the gates, as used in our country, chiefly in cities of account, beset with soldiers, but you will only see two or three waiting at the head-gates, where the highways go through, which are rather there to take custom, than to keep the gates, neither have they any arms. But in the middle of the city there is a castle on a high hill, which is strong, large, surrounded with walls and ditches, and well beset with a good guard. Concerning their other buildings, which are flat at the top, and cover’d with a sort of pavement, that one may walk on the tops of them, they are like unto them of _Tripolis_. Amongst the rest there is a very magnificent building, which they say hath cost a great deal of money, which hath for it’s entrance a very low and small door, so that one must bend himself very low that will go into it, but when you come in, you find there delicate large halls, high open arches, very pleasant and cool to sit underneath in the summer, water-works, orchards, and kitchen-gardens, where among the rest was one of these _Ketmy_’s: Besides these there was also some fine Mosques with steeples, which were round and small, but very high; some of them had a balcony at the top, like unto a garland, whereupon the waits are, and their priests go about at the time of prayers, to call people in. But for other stately buildings, that might be erected for the memory of some potent King or Prince, there is none.

Without the city they have here and there some country-houses; among the rest one built for the _Turkish_ Emperor, at four miles distance from the city, where he used to be sometimes, chiefly when he is at war with the _Sophy_, King of _Persia_, that he may presently assist his army in case of necessity; this is very large, but not built so stately as so great a monarch deserveth. In the great garden is a chapel built by the river that runs through it upon pillars, where the _Great Sultan_ used to hold conferences with his Privy-counsellors and Visier-bashaws. It happen’d in the reign of _Solyman the Great_, as the gardiner did relate to us, that when they were assembled, to consult whether it was more profitable to him to suffer the _Jews_ in his provinces, or to root them quite out; after every one had given his opinion, and most of them were of the opinion, that they ought not to be tolerated, because of their unsufferable usury wherewith they oppressed his subjects; and after the Emperor had heard every ones sentiment, he gave them also to understand his, and that in this instance, _viz._ He bad them look upon a flower-pot, that held a quantity of fine flowers of divers colours, that was then in the room, and bid them consider whether each of them in their colour, did not set out the other the better; and that if any of them should decay, or be taken away, whether it would not somewhat spoil the beauty of the rest. After every one had heard the _Sultan_’s opinion, and did allow of it to be true; the Emperor did begin to explain this, and said, The more sorts of nations I have in my dominions under me, as _Turks_, _Moors_, _Grecians_, &c. the greater authority they bring to my kingdoms, and make them more famous. And that nothing may fall off from my greatness, I think it convenient, that all that have been together so long hitherto, may be kept and tolerated so still for the future; which pleased his council so well, that they all unanimously agreed to it, and so let it remain as it was.

Without the city of _Halepo_ are abundance of quarries, where they dig great free-stones of a vast bigness, almost as white and soft as chalk, very proper for building: There are also about the town some walks or grotto’s under ground, which are above an _English_ mile long, which have the light let into them by holes made near the highway, so that a man must be very careful (chiefly at night) that he may not fall into them, or that he may not be trapann’d by the _Moors_ that live in them in great numbers. The ground about it being very chalky, it causeth to the soles of our feet, chiefly at night, although one be very well provided with strong shoes, a very considerable driness and heat, as one may also see by the _Moors_, that, for the most part go bare-foot, which causeth the soles of their feet to be so shrifled, that into some of their crevises you may almost put your little finger. Yet notwithstanding that, _Halepo_ is surrounded with rocky hills, and the valleys thereof are chalky; they have no want of corn, as barley, wheat, _&c._ but rather it is very fruitful, and their harvest beginning commonly in _April_ or _May_: But they have but few oats, and less grass or hay; for the driness is so great, and it is so sandy, and the hills are so rough and full of bushes, that they make but very little hay. Wherefore they feed their cattel with barley, and with straw, which is broken in pieces by threshing waggons, that are drawn by oxen. The valley is also full of Olive-trees, so that yearly they make several thousand hundred weight of oil for to make Soap. There is also a great quantity of tame and wild Almond-trees, of Figgs, of Quince, and white Mulberry-trees, which are very high and big: _Pistacies_-trees, which they call _Fistuc_, are hereabout very common; they have underneath very strong stems, which have outwardly an ashen-colour’d bark, and are adorned with handsome leaves of a sad green colour, like unto their _Charnubis_, and behind them grow many small Nuts like Grapes in clusters together. In the spring when they first put out, they send forth long shoots, which the _Moors_ gather in great quantity for their sallad, and dress them as we do Asparagus. There are also abundance of delicate orchards, that are filled with _Oranges_, _Citrons_, _Lemons_, _Adam_’s-_Apples_, _Sebesten_, _Peaches_, _Morelloes_, and _Pomegranates_, &c. and amongst them you find sometimes Apples and Pears, but very few, nor so many sorts, nor so big, nor so well coloured as ours. There grow many Myrtles, which bear roundish berries of the bigness of our _Sorbus_ or Services, of a blewish grey colour, very good to eat, which have white seeds of the shape of our jumping cheese-magots; they propagate them diligently, because they are beautiful, and remain long green, to put about their graves. Moreover there are many _Sumach_-trees, which they plant for their seeds sake, which is much used by them; but _Cherries_, _Amelanchier_ and _Spenleny_ I have not seen there, and very few Goosberries, or Currans; _Weychseln_ they have, but very few, wherefore they esteem them, and keep them choice, as a foreign plant, to shew them to others, and to present great persons with them; this may suffice of trees.

Concerning their garden plants: those that are common, are Endives, Lettice, Keal or Coleworts, Colliflowers, _Cauloropa_, _Rauckelen_, _Apium_, _Tarcon_, whereof _Rhasis_ describeth two sorts, one with long small leaves, by us call’d Taragon, and the other with broad leaves, which I reckon to be our _Lepidium_, by the inhabitants call’d _Cozirihan_. _Ravos Serap_; or our common Hartichokes. But beyond all they plant _Colocasia_ in such plenty as we do Turneps, whereof they have also great plenty. They are also very well provided with Horseraddishes, Garlick, and Onions, which the inhabitants still call _Bassal_. Of _Pumpions_, _Citruls_, and _Cucumis anguinus_, which they call _Gette_, they plant as many as they have occasion for; but many more _Angurien_ an _Indian Muskmillion_, or Water-mellons, which they call _Batiechas_, but _Serap._ _Dullaha_, they are large, of greenish colour, sweet and pleasent to eat, and very cooling, wherefore they esteem them to be their best fruits; but chiefly those, which have more red than white within; they are very innocent and harmless, and keep so long good, that they sell them in their _Batzars_ all the winter long. Moreover, there are three sorts of those plants which the _Arabians_ call _Melanzana_, _Melongena_, and _Beudengian_, as ash-coulour’d, yellow, and flesh-colour’d, which are very like one another in their crookedness and length, and like unto the long Gourds. There are two other sorts, which are call’d _Bathleschain_, _viz._ oblong and round ones, which are much bigger, of a black colour, and so smooth and glaz’d that they give a reflection. They eat these oftener boil’d (chiefly after the way which _Averrhoës_ mention’d) than raw. Without their gardens are two other strange plants, which also (being they eat them commonly with others) may be reckon’d among the Kitchin-herbs; whereof one is call’d by them _Secacul_, which I found about the town in shady places, and among trees, and in the corn; it’s roots are of an ashen colour without, and white within, smooth, mellow or tender, of one inch thick, and one and a half long; it hath instead of fibres, little knobs like unto warts, and a sweet taste, not unlike to our Carrots in stalk, herb or head, saving only the flowers, which are yellow; the herb-women carry them strung upon strings about the streets to sell them. The other sort is also very plentiful, and is found in dry and rough places, which the inhabitants to this day, with _Serapio_, call _Hacub_, whereof he maketh mention in his 295th chapter, under the name of _Hacub Alcardeg_, whereof they cut in the spring the young shoots or sprouts, that grow round about it, boil and eat it as we do Asparagus, corruptly call’d Sparrowgrass; the whole plant is very like to our Carlina, only this hath bigger, higher and more prickly heads, whereon appear flesh-coulour’d flowers. It being that it is every way like it, and that also the root hath the same virtue, for if you steep it in water, and drink of it, it maketh you vomit and fling up; therefore I am of opinion, that without doubt it must be the true _Silybum Dioscorides_; besides this there grow also in the road and on old walls such plenty of Capers, that they are not at all esteem’d; they take these flowers before they open, and pickle them, and eat them for sauce with their meat. I had almost forgot another herb, which I found in their gardens, that beareth roundish smooth stalks about two foot high; the leaves are two and two equally distant from one another, and one above the other; they are long, crenated at the sides, like unto our Mercurialis; between them sprout out in harvest-time yellow flowers, which produce long aculeated cods, which open themselves when they are ripe; within them are six distinctions, and in each of them a little black seed placed in very good order; the herb is of a sower taste, like Sorrel, wherefore it is to every body, chiefly the _Jews_, known, who boil the leaves thereof with their meat to eat them; wherefore some take it to be _Olus Judaicum Avicennæ_, and others take it for _Corchorum Plinii_, whether it be or no I suspend my judgment.

They have abundance of Pulses in these countries, which they feed upon, so that you see several in their _Batzars_ which sell nothing else but them. Among the rest you will find abundance of _Phaseoli_, or Kidney-beans, little and great ones, very white; and many sorts of _Cicer_, which they call _Cotane_, and, with _Avicenna_, _Hamos_. Whereof they have as many as we have Pease in our country, and boil them for their daily food, and oftentimes they eat them raw, chiefly if they be roasted, till the outward shell falls off; they often call for them thus dressed when they are a drinking in their coffee-houses, and have them brought to table with cheese after their meals instead of preserves or fruit, as Cibebs, Hasel-nuts, and the like, for they eat very mellow, and have a fine saltish taste. They dress the _Orobus_ after the same manner, which they call now _Ades_ and _Hades_, but whether right or no I leave to the learned; they are somewhat less and rounder, and not unlike the Cicers in their colour, only that these are reddish and white, and the other white and yellow. These put me still in mind of another strange plant, by the _Arabians_ call’d _Mas_, whose leaves and cods are pretty like our _Phaseolus_, and the cods contain little round seeds, something less than our pease, of a dark green colour, and are so smooth and shining that they reflect again. _Serapio_ maketh mention of them in his 116th chap. under the name of _Mes_. And _Avicenna_ in his 488th chapter under the name _Meisce_; and the very learned and experienced Botanist, _Carolus Clusius_, calleth it, in his _Epitome_ of the _Indian_ plants, by the name of _Mungo_. The _Turks_ love these Pulses very well, chiefly to eat them among their rice. So much I thought convenient to mention here of their Kitchen-herbs and fruits that grow in gardens and about _Aleppo_; of others that belong not to the kitchen I shall make mention hereafter.

In this city of _Aleppo_ the Merchants buy great store of drugs, brought from several parts by the caravans, as _Rheubarb_, _Galbanum_, _Opoponax_, _Styrax_, _Laser_, _Sagapenum_, _Scammony_, &c.

CHAP. VII.

_Of the high places and authority of ~Bashaws~, what great courts they keep, and how they administer their offices; as also of their way of living, of their privileges, of their manners and conversation._

The city of _Aleppo_, which some, considering the name and situation, believe to be the town _Chalibon_ of _Ptolomæus_ situated in _Chalibonitis_, is subject unto the _Turkish_ Emperor, together with all the adjacent places, wherefore he keepeth a _Bashaw_ in it, which is to rule it, and the whole province according to his will and pleasure. Now as the _Bashaws_ are almost the chiefest and heighest under the Emperor, so they keep according to their station and dignity their courts as great as the Princes do in our country, according as they have great or small provinces. So they have under them their chief commanders, as _Sangiacks_, _Bolucs-bashaws_ and others, which are continually with them, go with them to their temples, or any other place where-ever they have a mind to go in great numbers, both on foot and on horse-back, which by their several habits are to be distinguish’d, but chiefly the _Bolusc-bashaws_, who as captains have an hundred Janisaries under them, which in costly cloaths, and high heads with feathers, run on foot like lackies by their master. They have also besides their court, as well as the Emperor himself, peculiar lodgings for their concubines, which they either have pick’d up here and there out of towns and countries, or else taken in time of war by sea and land from Christians and other nations; wherefore they keep many eunuchs to attend them constantly. They take great delight in hunting, and go often several days journeys after it; if they take wild boars, they give them to Christians, because they are by their laws forbid to eat them, which makes the _Turks_, often to mock them in the streets, crying out and calling them _Chansir quibir_, that is, great Boars or Hog-eaters. Although the _Bashaws_ are great persons, that command over cities and countries, yet they are reckon’d to be like others, but slaves to their master, that have nothing of their own that they can bequeath to their heirs or posterity after their decease, as our Princes can; because the Emperor, after their decease, taketh possession of all their visible estates, and allows only to their children an annuity; nay, if their Sultan commands them to go from one place to an inferior one, or to leave their dignity quite and clean, they must obey immediately, if they will not run themselves into greater inconveniences or dangers. This is the reason that such persons, though rich, seldom build great buildings, so that you see none in all the country, except it be a chapel, or a champ, which they build to be remember’d by. They rather keep their riches in gold and silver, which can be hid, and so secretly given to their posterity. They bestow but very little upon jacks, for they are too covetous, neither have they many workmen that are able to set them. These _Bashaws_ being altogether for their own advantage, that strive to get wealth, their subjects must needs suffer very much under them, but chiefly strangers, that live there to traffick, as _Italians_, _French_, &c. whereby between them and the _Bashaws_, that mind their own and not the public good, arise often great differences, and they must have suffer’d great damage, if their sovereigns, to prevent these things, and that their subjects may deal securely, had not taken care to send them discreet and prudent men, which are call’d Consuls, endew’d with great privileges from the Grand Signior, to hear their complaints, and to protect them against any assaulters. It happen’d in my time, while I staid there, that great differences arose between the Consul of _Venice_ and the new _Bashaw_ who was sent thither instead of the deceased one, in the year 1575, the 6th of March, who came in to take possession with a great number of horse and foot. At his arrival, the Consul of _Venice_ went, accompany’d with a great number of merchants in great state, to meet him, to bid him welcome, and presented him with fourteen cloaths richly wrought of silk, desiring him to take his countrymen into protection; that they might trade and deal safely under him. The _Bashaw_ looking upon the cloaths, behaved himself very unkindly, and thinking them to be very inconsiderable, he not only refused them, but answer’d the Consul very scornfully. So it often happens that these great persons come to differ, and pursue their differences so far, that at last it must be brought before the Emperor and his court. If they find that the _Bashaw_ is in the wrong, he is immediately punish’d, not regarding his great authority, according to the default, either in money, or else, if it be a great crime, he must loose his life for it; which is the oftner done, because they depend very much upon traffick, which bringeth the Emperor in yearly a great revenue. Yet notwithstanding they are punish’d so severely, sometimes the pride and ambition of the _Bashaws_ is so great, that to uphold their greatness they will not cease to strive by any means after riches and very great wealth, which their subjects, not to speak of strangers, find daily, whom they squeeze and press, chiefly if they find them rich, to that degree, that they cannot come to any thing, nor thrive under them; moreover they draw, after the decease of their rich subjects, for the most part the greatest share of what they leave, into their own purses; so that such persons do not take pains, nor bestow any great cost to build their houses, or to till their grounds, as we do in our country. They have commonly in market-towns and villages low houses or halls, whereof many are so cover’d with hills, that you cannot see them before you are quite at them. When you come into them, you find neither chairs, nor stools, nor tables, only a couple of pieces of tapestry spread, whereon they sit after their fashion; and instead of feather-beds, whereof they make no use at all, they have mats and quilts, which they fold together in the day, and hang them up in a corner, at night they spread them out again to sleep on them. They have no occasion for sheets to cover themselves as we do, nor for any towels neither, for instead of them they use long pieces of rags, which they hang about their naked necks, or hang them at their girdles. We see sometimes in their houses, above all in the country, several strange shaped earthen vessells, which cover whole sides of the wall in their rooms, which their relations use to present them with at their wedding, which to please them, they use to put up, and to keep there, rather for their remembrance than to make any other use of them. In their kitchen they have very few utensils, perhaps a few pipkins, pans, and trenchers, for they boil all their victuals in one pot together, that their maids may not have many to cleanse, or to put up.

Concerning their cloaths: They bestow not very much upon them, although they be well to pass, for they love money so well, that they will rather spend a whole day in contending for a penny, than pay it willingly. Wherefore a man that will travel through these countries, must have his purse well stored, and keep it very close, that no body may know it’s worth, but chiefly he must have a care of the _Jews_, who are not to be trusted, if you will escape great danger: They will not only do nothing for you without reward, but if they suspect you to have any money, they will endeavour to get it from you. Wherefore those that take a pilgrimage into the Holy Land, and go in pitiful cloaths, are not much troubled by them. The courtiers of the _Bashaws_, and amongst the rest chiefly the eunuchs and dwarfs, _&c._ whereof they have several, go in their taffety and sattin cloaths, which are long, and very well trimmed, wherewith their master furnisheth them, being gifts from others, which he distributeth among them. The Soldiers, _Spahees_, _Janisaries_, _&c._, commonly have blew woollen cloaths from the court, and they live on their pay, that is, four, five, six, seven, or eight _Medins_, (which are about three farthings apiece) more or less (according as their places are) which are paid them daily, as well in peace as in war time: If they can get any thing else, by excursions and fighting from their enemies, it is well for them. The Soldiers commonly wear white turbants on their heads, and so do all _Turks_, and put painted paper underneath them, chiefly when they go into the war, believing if they wear them they cannot be hurt nor wounded. On their turbants they commonly wear cranes feathers, that others may believe them to be valiant soldiers, and that by their number people may guess that either they have been in so many campaigns, or else killed so many _Christians_. Besides these turbants the _Janisaries_ have also hats with high crowns, called _Zarcellus_, made of white felt, which they wear instead of helmets, when they are in waiting, or go out to the war; these have before, on the forehead, a gilded sheath, set without with granats, rubies, _Turkey_-stones, and other jewels, yet of no great value, wherein they put their feathers. They and also other _Turks_ and _Moors_ let no hair grow upon their heads, but as soon as it grows they shave it again, only behind they keep a lock, which hangs down a pretty way; they let their beards grow now, which they used formerly to cut off, so that now for some years they have worn huge great mustachies. In war time they carry musquets, and in peace, chiefly when they are in waiting, their long poles. They are also allow’d to marry, and besides their wives, to keep any they take prisoners in war, or else to sell them to any body. When they are at home they are lovers of wine, and when they can come at it, that no body sees them, they will drink more without mixture than any other nation; but in time of war, when they are in expedition, they can live very sparingly, and will march all day long before they will refresh themselves. Yet to speak the truth, these and almost all Soldiers, because they are as well paid in peace as in war, are no more so ready to take the field, and to change a quiet life for a troublesome one, or a secure one for a dangerous, as they have been in former ages, being used to laziness for a great while together. Besides the power and strength of the _Turks_ is reckon’d much inferior to that of the Christians, for we are better arm’d with muskets and pikes, to keep them off at a distance, that they may not be able to come in with us to club-law, and so over-power us; for if their enemy doth not give way at their first on-set, they turn their backs and run away. But that notwithstanding all this, we gain nothing from the _Turks_, but they rather from us; the reason is, not to mention our manifold transgressions, rather our great divisions and contentions, which hinders us from going out with such an army as is necessary, and we might otherwise do. Wherefore the _Turks_ come out the bolder, to frighten and to plague us, and make use of all sorts of stratagems to amuse us, or to draw us into an ambush by pursuing them, and when they think we are almost tired, they fall upon us with a multitude of fresh men, to surround and to beat us. Nor do they value it, if they loose one regiment or another, because there is enough of them, and they know how to have in the room of the slain others again, that will be very glad to accept of it, because of their pay that they receive daily of their Prince out of his provinces. It being then so that he doth not only maintain his own provinces, but rather gains others, and enlarges his dominions daily, we ought to be very careful; for the more he increaseth the more we are in danger. Thus he taketh one town, country, or kingdom after another with his sword, as we have seen hitherto in _Europe_, not to mention any thing of _Asia_, not without great detriment and damage to all Christians. So he cometh daily the longer the nearer to us, that at length we must expect no better than _Greece_, _Thracia_, _Servia_, _Bosnia_, _Hungary_, and _Wallachia_, &c. which are brought into slavery, under which some persons of quality still groan to this day. So I found at _Aleppo_ an ancient Queen of _Wallachia_ with her sons, whereof the youngest was born after the King his father’s death, who is maintain’d by a very small allowance from the _Turkish_ Emperor. She is a very discreet woman, and well skill’d in the _Turkish_ and _Arabian_ languages. Her subjects still hope for her, that God Almighty will restore her to them again, that so their slavery may have an end.

After the _Turks_ have obtained a great victory, they lift up their hands, thank and praise God, and the prophet _Mahomet_, God Almighty’s dearly beloved messenger; and pray farther, that God may send differences and quarrels among us (that are against the book _Jugilis_, as they call it, that is the book of the Gospel) that the magistrates may quarrel with the subjects, and the Clergy with the Seculars, that from thence may arise such disorders, that we may go on to transgress the laws of God still more and more; that our belief in _Messias_ may be extinguished, and that all good orders and policies may be dissolved: So that God may take from thence occasion to make them farther our punishers to afflict us. And when they see that the rich men oppress the poor, that the magistrates do not protect the just and innocent, but that the chief and heads do strive to ruin one another, then they rejoice at our misfortune and misery, and do not fear us in the least to do them any mischief (which might easily be done if we were unanimous) but rather threaten what mischief they will do us.

When the _Turks_ have taken a strong town, or a whole country by the sword, that they may keep them the easier in subjection without a great garrison, pains, or danger, they demolish the places that are not very strong, and send away the nobility and chief persons, which otherwise might do them a great deal of mischief; and in the room of these they bring in _Sangiacks_, with their souldiers, to keep the strong places, and to take care of the Emperor’s revenue. So that in these places there is no nobility, that come from any ancient races, and have their own estates hereditary and descending from heir to heir: Which one may also suppose when he considereth that the law of _Mahomet_ alloweth to those that adhere to it, to have four wives at a time, besides concubines or slaves as many as they please: I will say nothing of the liberty they have to divorce them upon any small occasion, and to take others in their room; from whence flow such disorders and uncertainties, that very few children know who are their parents, and so there is but little love shewn between them as one may easily suppose. And this is no disgrace to them, but rather reputed to be an honour, because they conclude from thence that those that keep many wives, behave themselves diligently according to their laws: Wherefore they sooner trust them, prefer them before others, in places and salaries, and esteem them to be true _Tschelebiis_, that is, noblemen. Although these and other _Turks_ have several wives, that are not all equal in their birth and extraction, yet they all have in family affairs their equal share and power, and they all are equally provided for with meat, drink, cloaths, _&c._ and they have also their work and business equally among them: And that because they bring their husband no portion, but he must rather buy them from their Parents, sometimes for a considerable sum of ready money, and give them cloaths and other necessaries to boot: wherefore the matrimonial tye (which they call _Chebia_) is more in the power of the husband than the wife, so that he may marry one three times and reject her again; but farther he must not go, except he will be accounted a scandalous base fellow: As you may perceive by the words of the _Turkish_ Emperour _Bajazet_, which he did send to _Temyry_, who is also called _Tamerlane_, saying, that he had better to take a wife again after he was three times divorced from her, than to go to war with him; which scornful language he might well have forborn; for _Tamerlane_ did not only beat him in a cruel and bloody battle, but took him prisoner, and carried him about in an iron cage like a wild beast of the forest.

But that I may return from whence I digressed, the marriages of the _Turks_ are never look’d upon to be ratified before they are married by one of their priests. Their wives must agree together, and live peaceably and amicably, and must not resist their husbands, except he maketh inequality among them: If any should appear (which happens very often) they do not forbear to complain of their husband to the _Cadi_ or Judge. So that daily very strange transactions (which are not strange to him) come before him: If so be that the husband is convicted, and the wife absolved, they are divorced immediately in the same hour.

The _Turkish_ women are pretty handsom, and well shaped, very civil in their discourses, and other behaviour. When any of them is married, and carried to her bridegroom’s house, their relations go along with her, that are invited to the wedding, and begin to make a noise immediately in the streets, and extol their voices more and more as they go along, that you may hear them a great way off.

The _Turks_ that are of some condition, and rich and able men, have at their weddings several diverting shews; in the day-time they have dancing, running, actings, singing, jumping, and leaping, and dancing on the ropes, _&c._ After sun-set, and at night, they let off rockets, and fire-works of several sorts, made artificially. These are let off in publick and open places, that every one may see them, and they last often till break of day. The rope-dancers have three ropes one above the other, whereof the uppermost is the longest; upon every one of them they have their peculiar lessons, which they perform exactly and dexterously, with dancing, jumping, running, gesticulating, going upon stilts, _&c._, which is pleasant to look upon. Their children when they are married, soon forget their parents, they dare not see them again in a great while, nor do they desire to do it.

When they have children born, they do not justly circumcise them on the eighth day, but let them be 8, 9, or 10 Years old, until they can make their confession: There are some, chiefly among the _Arabians_, that imitate their patriarch _Ishmael_, who was not circumcised until the thirteenth year of his age. It is commonly performed in the house of their parents. If rich mens sons are circumcised, they make a feast, and roast a whole entire bullock, into his belly they put a wether, and into his belly a pullet, into the pullet’s belly an egg, and so they roast them all together, what remaineth they give to the poor. When the children grow up, and begin to go, they cloath them in loose flying coats of fine stuff, woven of several colours, which are pleasant to look upon; and they put upon the heads of those that are not yet circumcised, coloured caps, which are wrought with flowers, and very common to be sold in their _Batzars_. After they are circumcised, they begin to wear white turbants, which are made of cotton, and rolled about their caps after a peculiar manner, and are commonly twenty yards long.

They have still another strange custom, which young and old, men and women, use in these Countries, _viz._ They make a thin paste of galls and calcined copperas, (to beautify themselves, and to keep their eyes from rheum) with it they blacken their lips, and make a ring round about their eyes, in the same manner as our ring-doves have about their necks. These paintings they have had anciently, and some of them they have prepared of _Stibium_ or Antimony: Of these paintings of the eye we read in several places, chiefly (that I may not mention others) in the _23d._ Chap. of _Ezekiel_, the _40th_ verse, where the Lord says by the prophet, _And lo, they came, for whom thou didst wash thy self, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thy self with ornaments_.

Concerning the education of their youth: They only learn in schools to read, and to write the _Arabian_ Alphabet, the characters or letters whereof are common both to the _Turks_ and _Arabians_, although their languages are very differing: Besides these, there are other schools, wherein the young men are instructed in the Emperor’s laws, and those that go on in their learning, and take it well, are soon called to high offices, as _Cadi_’s and _Cadileschiers_. But in liberal arts and sciences, such as we teach in our countries, they are not instructed, for they have not only none of these learned men, but esteem learning of these sciences a superfluity, and loss of time; they rather love old rhimes and ballads that speak of and commend the mighty deeds of their ancient Emperors, and other Champions; or other fancies that make foreign nations, or any of their enemies, ridiculous: And such things they put either themselves into rhimes, or else hear those that have been put into rhimes by others already, which they say daily with peculiar actions, out of town in pleasant greens, (where also other divertisements are performed with singing, dancing, leaping, _&c._) So that they are rather pleased with the reading of these frivolous silly writings, than to learn arts and sciences: Which you may evidently see, in that they do not esteem, nor will admit of that Noble Art of Printing Books, that might inform them in any thing: Which the clerks, whereof there is a great number up and down in the cities, like very well, because they daily take a great deal of money for the writing of their prophet _Mahomet_ and others, which maketh them generally very rich, and wear greater turbants than the rest, that they may be distinguished from others. Their paper is generally smoothed and glazed, and they comprehend their letters in very few words: When they will make them up, they fold them up until they come to be no broader than an inch, the outward crevise of the paper they fill all along with wax within, and so glue it as it were to the other, or else they take any other paste made for that purpose, and so imprint their name upon it with their seal that is done over with ink, so that nothing remaineth white but the letters: These seals are generally made at _Damasco_, where the best artists live that cut in steel, and they put nothing more in it but their name. They do not make any use of paper that is writ on, although they have great quantity thereof, neither to put things up in, nor for any other use, and yet if they find any of it in the street, they do not let it lie, but take it up carefully, fold it together, and put it into the next crevise they meet with, for they are afraid that the name God may be written on it: Instead thereof the Grocers make use of great leaves of _Colocasia_, whereof they have great store.

CHAP. VIII.

_Of the great trading and dealing of the city of ~Aleppo~; as also of several sorts of their Meats and Drinks, of their Ceremonies, and their peculiar way of sitting down at Meals._

Having heretofore treated of the buildings and situation of that excellent town of _Aleppo_; and of the customs, manners, and offices of the _Turks_, as much as I could apprehend of it, I cannot but speak, before I leave it, of the dealings and merchandizing that are daily exercised there, which are admirably great. For great caravans of pack-horses and asses, but more camels arrive there daily, from all foreign countries, _viz._ from _Natolia_, _Armenia_, _Ægypt_, and _India_, _&c._ with convoys, so that the streets are so crouded, that it is hard to pass by one another. Each of these nations have their peculiar _Champ_ to themselves, commonly named after their master that built it, _viz._ _Champ Agemi_, _Champ Waywoda_, _Champ Abrac_, _Sibeli_, _Mahomet_’s _Bashaw_, and which are kept for them, that they may make them their inns, and live in them, and to keep or sell their merchandizes according to their pleasure. So among the rest of the nations there are _French-men_ and _Italians_, &c. which have also there their peculiar buildings (which, as is before said, are called _Fundiques_) wherein some live together, and others (chiefly the _Italians_ that are married) live without in lodgings; they have very small habitations, and live sparingly like the _Turks_. In these _Champs_ you may meet with several sorts of strange merchandizes, before all in _Champ Agemi_, where you have all sorts of cotton-works, _viz._ handkerchiefs, long fillets, girdles, which they roll about their loins and heads, and other sorts, by the _Arabians_ called _Mossellini_ (after the country _Mussoli_, from whence they are brought, which is situated in _Mesopotamia_) by us _Muslin_; with these do the _Turkish_ gentlemen cloath themselves in summer. There is delicate tapestry, artificially wrought with all manner of colours, such as are sometimes brought over by us. From _Persia_ they bring great quantity of an unknown _Manna_ in skins, by the name of _Trunschibil_, which is gathered from a prickly shrub, called by the _Arabians_, _Agul_ and _Albagi_, which is the reason that it is mixt with small thorns and reddish chaff. This _Manna_ hath grains something bigger than our _Coriander_-seeds, so that, to all appearance, it is very like unto our _Manna_, which we gather from the _Larix_. It might also very well be taken to be the same that the _Israelites_ did eat, had not God the Almighty fed his people and maintained them miraculously and supernaturally. But that it falls upon thorns, is also attested by _Serapio_ and _Avicen._ in those chapters where they treat of _Manna_, which they call _Theceriabin_ and _Trangibin_, and that very learned and experienced Botanist _Carolus Clusius_ saith the same in his Epitome of _Indian_ plants. I found some of these shrubs that grew about _Aleppo_, which were about a cubit high, which shout out into several roundish stalks, and divide and spread themselves from the stem into several sprigs like unto a flower (part whereof were quite over-grown with _Epithymum_, as _Thymus_ used to be) and had abundance of long thin and soft prickles, from whence grew out flesh-coloured reddish flowers, that bore small red cods, very like, and of the same shape with the cods of our _Scorpioides_ (whereof I have found many at _Montpelier_) wherein are seeds of the same colour. The root thereof is pretty long, of a brown colour, it’s leaves long, like unto those of _Polygonum_, of an ash colour; those that grow at the bottom of the thorns are of a warm and dry quality. The people use the herb for a purge, they take a handful thereof and boil it in water. Besides this they have another _Manna_ like unto that, that cometh to us from _Calabria_ by the way of _Venice_, _and is the concreted Saccarine Exudation of the ~Ornus~._

Among the rest they also shew costly stones, by the _Arabians_ called _Bazaor_, which are oblong and roundish, and smooth without, and of a dark green colour. The _Persians_ take these from a peculiar sort of bucks, and use the powder against mortal and poisonous distempers. There are some that are very like unto these in form and figure, but not to be compared for goodness: Wherefore a man must have great care that he be not cheated. But there are some proofs to know whether they are good or no, which a Merchant communicated to me as infallible. Take quicklime and mixt it in powder with a little of this stone, and with water make them up into a past, when that is dry grind it, if it then remaineth white it is esteemed false, but if it turns yellow it is good, and brought from _Persia_. They also bring hither _Turkey_ stones, that grow almost only in their country, and their King, the _Sophy_, has an incredible treasure of them together: Lately so many of them were brought to us that the prices fell very much; but when the King heard of this, he immediately forbid that any should be exported in seven years time, that so they might come to their former price again, which seven years as I am informed are now expired. There are also put to sale many chains of delicate oriental pearls, which are for the greatest part taken or found in the _Persian_ seas, near to the island called _Babare_, situated not far from that great trading city of the _Turkish Batzora_, or _Balsara_.